1
as in counters
a force or influence that makes an opposing force ineffective or less effective
a substantial outflow of people proved to be the necessary corrective for the spiraling cost of housing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in antidotes
something that corrects or counteracts something undesirable
the only corrective to bad behavior is good, firm discipline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of correctives
Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living.
—
Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
These are not radical demands, but overdue correctives necessary for restoring public trust in higher education.
—Ilya Shapiro, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for correctives
Noun
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Accessibility There’s a wheelchair accessible ramp at The Pointe Restaurant, and elevators for access to all public areas and guestrooms with specific rooms featuring lower counters and accessible showers and balconies.—
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Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams had the perfect counters for Minnesota’s defense.—
Noun
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Family, community, and faith remain the best antidotes to the widespread malaise and social breakdown of our age.—
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Typically manufactured from animal blood plasma, the antidotes often remain expensive, inconsistent, and difficult to scale across multiple snake species.—
Noun
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Houses have been being built here since the early 1900s, and so there's different offsets.—
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Carbon offsets in sports are also in the news, with scandals erupting around them in connection with sports from FIFA’s 2022 World Cup to basketball’s LA Clippers.—
Noun
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Responsive applications are designed for other parties to propose alternative transactions or remedies to the deal that would better serve the public interest.—
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Some affected families chose unproven remedies like vitamins and cod-liver oil instead of measles shots.—
Noun
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Washington’s neutrality preserved the republic’s future, enabling economic expansion under the funding system Hamilton designed, territorial growth through the Louisiana Purchase and beyond, and eventual emergence as a great power capable of tipping global balances.—
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Millions of people who sometimes pay off their balances could also face new restrictions, the group said.—
Noun
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This demonstrates that the precious metal-free and therefore highly scalable electrode technology is more efficient than the significantly more complex solutions based on expensive and critical precious metals, as per the release.—
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Commercial grout cleaners can be more effective than DIY solutions since these cleaners have a higher concentration of penetrating chemicals.—
Noun
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Each tram has eight passenger cars and is powered by a typical heavy-duty elevator mechanism with cables, counterweights, etc.—
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According to the outlets, the pair heard a loud bang and the elevator cabin jammed before eventually falling down the shaft, along with a number of concrete counterweights.—
Cite this Entry
“Correctives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/correctives. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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